MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Interviews

PATRICK HAGGERTY – PART 2

In the second part of this two-part interview with Patrick Haggerty, the reissue of Lavender Country’s eponymous album is just the start of things, as there are plans to immortalize Haggerty’s life in more ways than one. 

PHOTOGRAPH BY MATTHEW WILSON

How did the resurgence of Lavender Country happen?  We were ostracized by everyone in music, for like 40 years.  And then, “boom,” Lavender Country blew up in 2014 when they reissued our music that year, and my life changed.  The very fucking thing that made me poison, now made me prominent.  And now they all want to play with me, so go figure.  How has your life changed since the resurgence?  We’ve done about 150 to 200 shows in the last five years.  There have been multiple documentaries.  They even turned Lavender Country into a fucking ballet for the San Francisco Ballet.  I sang live while they did the ballet—it was fabulous.  They’re even talking about doing a Broadway musical about me.  Also, someone in the industry is shopping around a screenplay that he wrote about my life and Lavender Country.

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2014 deluxe reissue of the 1973 album widely recognized as the first openly gay country music album-and cited as such even by Nashville institutions like the Country Music Hall of Fame and CMT-the landmark self-titled Lavender Country album stands as nothing less than an artifact of courage, a sonic political protest document of enormous power, clarity, and grace.

What are your thoughts on fame?  It’s getting to the point where I’m getting recognized by the scene.  Particularly, in the gay scene.  I get to be the activist that I always have been, and I get to get my message out to a much larger audience.  And who wouldn’t like that?  But I don’t like being idolized.  Certainly my husband and my children don’t idolize me.  What song or album would you like to be remembered for?  I guess, “I Can’t Shake the Stranger Out of You.”  The song is about the difference between hot sex and real intimacy.  What’s the last song that you wrote?  It’s a song called, “Sweet Shadow Man.”  It’s not about me.  The narrator of the song in a young white guy in Bogalusa, Louisiana, who’s on an adventure to have a secret affair with a black man.  The narrator has all this racist baggage, but he has the affair anyway, out of lust.  Are you working on a song now?  Yes, it’s called, “Big Silver Bird.”  It’s a song about my son, and it’s about my attitude about being white and gay, but raising a black child.  It’s about some of the inadequacies that I had in raising him.  The “big sliver bird” is the airplane.

Speaking of music, who’s the best male country singer?  Hank Williams, followed very closely by Johnny Cash.  Who’s the best female country singer?  Pasty, darling—that’s a given.  She’s from my generation, and I understand her story…  Her story is very poignant.  Who’s your favorite county artist of all-time?  Patsy’s my favorite.  I do like Dolly, too.  My dream is to get on Dolly’s radar and record a number with her.  I could just die after I do that.  Do you do any Patsy numbers live?  Yes.  I sing, “Walking After Midnight,” but I preface it with a little story.  I say, “Now Patsy.  What do you know about walking after midnight, trolling for men?  Sorry, darling, but let me handle this one.”  Who’s your favorite gay artist or activist?  Well, certainly Harvey Milk is an inspiration to us all.  I actually met him once.  If I had to pick a gay hero, it might be someone you never heard of.  His name is Faygele benMiriam.  He was the first person to apply for a marriage license for a gay marriage in 1971.

Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  Selling bibles in the San Francisco East Bay area.  I was desperate, man.  It was after I got kicked out of the Peace Corps.  I didn’t last too long at it.  Will you ever retire?  Probably not.  What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you?  “Have you ever had sex with a woman?”  What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  Darling, I don’t think that I acted like a fan around any of them.  The closest answer would probably be Joan Baez.  I admire her activism.  What’s the best place that you’ve ever visited?  It was called Press Valley, and it’s in the Olympic National Park.  It’s a rain forest, and it’s deep in the heart of the Olympics.  I took my brother there once, and we dropped acid before we got there.  But even if you’re not on acid, it looks like something out of a fairy tale.  What do you want to live long enough to see?  Revolution.  A transformation into international social revolution.  I want to see capitalism die.

What were you doing before we talked?  I was talking to a friend who was “boo-hoo” about not getting tenure.  She’s a professor.  She feels that she’s being discriminated against, so I walked her through it.  Either living or dead, who’s the greatest political figure in America?  Malcom X.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  Oh, my dad.  Oh, of course.  My dad, my dad, my dad.  And all of my girlfriends who died in the AIDS crisis, too.  Where would you go in a time machine? Back to a peep show.  Who are you closest with?  My children are way more important to me than anything else, including Lavender Country.  And my husband is second-important after them.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  I have a lot of regrets, but I don’t spend much time regretting.  One that comes to mind was that I met a very good looking man at a peep show, but I didn’t go home with him.  I regret not going home with him.  The sex that we had in the peep show was fabulous (laughs).  And finally, where can we see you?  Hopefully, on the road soon!

 

 

 

 

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Interviews

PATRICK HAGGERTY – PART 1

In the Pantheon of gay country music, Patrick Haggerty, and his band, Lavender Country, have no peer.  In the first part of this two-part interview, Haggerty reveals the impetus behind his groundbreaking band.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MATTHEW WILSON

By Mike Jeknavorian

You’ve lived in the Seattle area since the 1970s.  What’s unique about Seattle that isn’t common knowledge?  People think that San Francisco is the hub of gay land, and, in some ways, it is.  However, Seattle was ahead of San Francisco at every turn.  Seattle had the very first counseling service for homosexuals in the world.  It was also the first to pass a gay non-discrimination ordinance.  Again, for that one, we were ahead of San Francisco by a few years.  Where did you hang out in Seattle?  The Double Header I think was the prominent bar that comes to mind.  It was an old-time, near-the-water-front, big bar, with an actual dance floor.  The beer, and the dancing, was the draw there.  In its heyday, Seattle actually had about ten to 15 gay bars.  How did you enjoy spending your time when you lived in Seattle?  I enjoyed a lot of sexuality, I have to admit.  I stacked them up like corkwood.  I was the queen of the bathhouse (laughs).  But I regret the lack of intimacy with it all.

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2014 deluxe reissue of the 1973 album widely recognized as the first openly gay country music album-and cited as such even by Nashville institutions like the Country Music Hall of Fame and CMT-the landmark self-titled Lavender Country album stands as nothing less than an artifact of courage, a sonic political protest document of enormous power, clarity, and grace.

Where do you live now?  I now live in a town called Bremerton.  It’s about a half an hour ferry ride from Seattle.  It’s been a navy town for about the past 120 years, and I married a navy man.  But before that I lived in Seattle for almost 30 years.  In terms of natural beauty, the area is like a doubly-blessed place.  However, Seattle is pretty white.  But, having said that, it’s mitigated by the fact that the minorities permeate the larger population.  You mentioned that you’re married.  Do you have children?  My parents had ten children, so I grew up in a very robust family.  I grew up with a kid on my hip.  And when I came out as gay, and they said that if you’re gay you can’t have kids, that got me angry.  But I made very good friends with a lesbian woman, and she didn’t want to raise a kid on her own.  So, I screwed my courage to the sticking place, and I had sex with this woman—one time.  And she got pregnant the first time.  So I have a daughter, Robin.  And, believe it or not, she has a son.  So, I’m “Grandpa Patty.”  I also have an adopted son.  I adopted him when he was about eight.  I was in a platonic relationship with his mother for a decade, but she always had custody of her son.  We raised out children together, and she was a parent to my daughter as well.  So, yeah, I did the whole dad thing—twice.

What does you son do?  He works in the film industry—he’s a successful independent videographer.  He moved to Brooklyn for his career when he was about 23-years-old, and I bawled every morning for six months.  But he lives in Cuba now with his bride, who’s from there.  She’s a leading stage actor.  Raising a cis black man, as a white gay activist, had its challenges.  But we remain quite close.  He’s a disciplined and well-read Marxist, like me.  And how about your daughter?  My daughter’s also very successful. She’s a civil-service employee.  She approves grants for people doing medical research on human subjects.  She’s very busy now with all the Coronavirus studies coming through.  What’s the most special experience that you had when you were in the Peace Corps?  The one thing that stands out was when I got kicked out.  That was very painful, particularly, in the memory of my father’s eyes—he was five years in the grave at that point.  My father was just like Pa Kettle.  I was just a screaming sissy, and my father figured it out when I was five.  But he supported me, and he loved me in my sissiness.  But he went a step further, because he loved me more and better because I was a sissy.  It’s very hard to talk about him without getting emotional—I lost him when I was 17.  So when I got kicked out, it was a very rude awakening.  How dare you do this to me.  Fuck you…  It made me so angry.

HAGGERTY (HELD BY MOTHER) WITH FAMILY

Is Lavender Country the gay-rights achievement that’s the most special to you?  Not really.  I would say that Lavender County is a radical, socialist, political, homosexual band, and I put a lot of my ideas into it.  I mean, I call for revolution in the songs.  I’ve done it several times.  For example: “Rise up, and rip this goddamn system down. ‘Cause there ain’t no hope, until you tear it down.”  And I wrote that in 73’.  What gay-rights achievement is the most important to you then?  I might pick the two times that I ran for office in Seattle.  One time I ran for city council, and the other time I ran for state senate.  I ran both times with the backing of the National of Islam, if you could imagine.  We did it as a form of protest, but I still got almost 20 percent of the vote.  It was very challenging, but it was also rewarding and interesting.  How was Lavender Country formed?  I didn’t produce Lavender Country.  The collective Stonewall experience in Seattle is what created the idea.  The collective people gave the ideas for the songs, and they raised the money for both studio time and for publishing.  But when we did it, we knew that it was the world’s first gay country album.

HAGGERTY (LEFT) WITH HUSBAND

And then what happened after the first album?  From 73’ to 2000, we had no recognition whatsoever.  We ran around the country doing a few prides here and there.  But the band died, and we went on with our lives.  I mean, there wasn’t a market for radial queer country music.  I had a family to raise and money to earn.  The band wasn’t even on my mind; it was dead.  I was actually living with my husband for, like, three years before he even knew I was in a band before.  Speaking of your husband, how’s the Coronavirus affecting both of you?  The Corona is driving me crazy, and it’s not like I don’t have an underlying condition or two.  And my husband is black, and near 80, so we’re scared shitless.  But if I do get it, hey, I had a great run (laughs).  I had a really interesting… really engaging… really hot… life—the whole way.  I’m very happy with the life that I’ve led.  So if I go, I go.  But once this is all over, I intend to get out on the road and do some more Lavender Country shows.

 

 

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN Local Interviews

RAJEE NARINESINGH

In the midst of these unsettling times, here’s a story of inspiration from someone who triumphed over health challenges, and she managed to do it all with a smile on her face.  Meet Rajee Narinesingh.

PHOTOGRAPH BY WWW.ELEGANTPHOTOGRAPHICS.COM

By Mike Jeknavorian

Where did you grow up?  I was born in New York, but I grew up in Philly.  What do you miss about it there?  I miss the season of fall.  It’s usually so hot here in South Florida.  I love fall because it’s not too hot and not too cold.  How long have you lived in South Florida?  I arrived in South Florida in January of 1989.  So, it’s been 31 years.  Why did you move here?  It was time for the birdy to leave the nest and spread my wings and fly.  My dad and I were clashing horribly.  He said that I needed to get the hell out!  What part of South Florida do you live in?  I live in Hollywood, Florida.  I always said that I would make it to Hollywood, but I should have been a little more specific (laughs).  What do you like most about living here?  I love the cultural diversity of the area and the sunshine.  The palm trees are beautiful, too.

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Rajée’s story is both inspiring and devastating in equal measure. An outcast literally from birth, Rajée has had to fight racism, prejudice and ignorance her entire life. Through a series of events that would have broken even the strongest man, Rajée emerged as a butterfly does from a cocoon into a beautiful spirit, yet the cruelty of life has deprived her of the traditional facial value.

What South Florida venue do you miss that’s gone?  In the 90’s the clubs down here had a certain electric energy to them, but after the internet advanced, the energy is gone.  For LGBTQ people it was somewhere we gathered to be ourselves and connect. The great thing about the internet is now you can literally talk with someone across the world.  Where do you hang out in South Florida?  I usually hang out in the LGBTQ city of Wilton Manors.  It’s where a lot of the outreach organizations are that I do my activist work with, and I also feel pretty safe doing social outing there.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  I’m a firm believer that everything that I have gone through makes me who I am at this moment.  What’s the best performance that you did so far?  I think my performance in Bella Maddo as the character “Aunt Norma.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY WWW.ELEGANTPHOTOGRAPHICS.COM

What’s the best movie or TV show that you’ve been in so far?  I would have to say the reality show, Botched.  It’s given me a platform around the world.  What’s your dream gig?  I would love to have my own show.  Will you ever retire?  Because a lot of my work now is activism, I think that I’ll be an activist until I die.  What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you?  If I have a porno I can send them.  What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  David Bowie on a flight coming back from England to the U.S. in 1986.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  My Facebook inbox, which is flooded (laughs).  How do you take your coffee or tea?  I am a coffee girl.  And it’s usually the coffee-flavor Starbuck’s in a bottle.  When I wake-up in the morning I put one in the freezer to get it cold and slushy.  I love the rush of the coffee with the coldness.  It really wakes me up.

PHOTOGRAPH BY WWW.ELEGANTPHOTOGRAPHICS.COM

What’s the best place that you’ve ever visited?  I’ve been to Canada, Trinidad, England, New York, and Los Angeles.  I think that my recent trip to Washington, D.C., for the Trans March was the best in the sense that it was a full-circle moment for me.  Growing up my family would go to D.C. in the summertime to visit.  I have some fond memories of being with my family together there.  And here I was so many years later marching for my rights as a transgender American.  Who would play you in a movie?  I’m not sure?  What are you superstitious about?  Nothing really.  Do you believe in aliens?  We would be pretty arrogant to think that in this big universe we are the only beings.  What’s the gayest concert that you ever went to?  I have not been to many concerts.  I went to the Prince’s Purple Rain concert.  And the Jackson 5 Victory concert (laughs).  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  For the love that I gave to the world.

PHOTOGRAPH BY WWW.ELEGANTPHOTOGRAPHICS.COM

What do you want to live long enough to see?  I want to live long enough to accomplish my spiritual mission here and to touch at least seven billion people with my love.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  That you can’t please everyone and that you hurt yourself trying to.  What corrective surgery that you had was the roughest?  The fourth facial surgery I had.  They pulled back both sides of my face, and I was on the table for about six hours.  What did you learn from your parents?  From my mom, that niceness goes a long way.  From my dad, to be precise.  Who’s your favorite performer?  Bruno Mars.  What’s your best characteristic?  My kindness.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  I love being in front of a camera filming.  I also like to be home watching Locked Up Abroad and To Catch a Smuggler.

PHOTOGRAPH BY WWW.ELEGANTPHOTOGRAPHICS.COM

What celebrity do you have crush on?  Drake, Prince Royce, Dev Patel, and Rick Gonzalez.  Who do you admire?  The fact that Nelson Mandela went from prisoner to president.  Princess Diana’s global appeal. Harriet Tubman’s determination.  Kyle Jenner’s wealth and social media following.  And Dr. Ernest Holmes.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  My dad, so we could have a conversation about the relationship we had and life, since he’s been on the other side.  Also, Jesus, Marilyn Monroe, and Gandhi.  Where would you go in a time machine?  I would go back just for a little bit to when Jesus was born to see how the story really played out.  And then I would go 1,000 years in the future just for a little bit to see how the world will be then.  What would your last meal be?  A Korean bulgogi platter.  What do you worry about?  That I’m doing what I came here to do.  What are you afraid of?  That one day hate will conquer love.

WITH DR. PHIL MCGRAW

If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  Probably a choir instructor.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A sheep that has toughened-up through the years.  Who depends on you, and for what?  My mom, and the LGBTQ community, for the activism that I do.  Who are you closest with?  My mom and a few close friends.  What would your autobiography be called?  How A Botched Beauty Touched the World!  What’s on your bucket list?  That I only go after I have completed everything I need to do and that I can die with the feeling of divine completion!  What’s your greatest regret in life?  That I started to believe “the haters” from a very young age.  What’s something secretive about you that people don’t know?  Damn, so much of my story is out in the world, but I don’t think that many know that I had sex behind a church once.  Where can we see you?  Google “Rajee Narinesingh” and you will see me all over!

 

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN Local Events

SCANDALS TURNABOUT 2020

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By Mike Jeknavorian

In the face of an annoying downpour, Scandals hosted one of their last major live events before the world stopped turning, their second annual turnabout.  General manager Alex Amarosa emceed the event, which saw most of the audience watching from the covered area of the patio, and a few watching under umbrellas.  Bar staff from neighboring bars, including The Pub in Wilton Manors, filled in for Scandals’ staff so everyone could participate.  The event was on January 23.

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN Local Interviews

PETER BISUITO

What other comic can be found in a “traditional” sitcom and on Xtube?  Ladies and gentlemen, meet Peter Biscuito.

By Mike Jeknavorian

Where did you grow up?  In Webster, New York.  What do you miss about it there?  My friends and family.  Well, “certain” friends and family.  How long have you lived in South Florida?  For four years.  Why did you move here?  I was living in Buffalo, New York, and I got tired of the cold winters.  What part of South Florida do you live in?  In the best part—Fort Lauderdale.  What do you like most about living here?  The social life.  Where do you hang out in South Florida?  On my couch.  Do you consider yourself more a performer or a producer/writer?  Bitch, please.  I do it all—perform, produce, write, direct, dictate, manage, control and manipulate…  You name it.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  Least prepared me…?  Um, I worked at a bowling alley once.  Nothing that I do now involves bowling or wearing ugly shoes.

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If you’d like to donate to Season 1 of Vent and Chester, you can go to PayPal.com and make a donation to Peter’s account at MyBigFunnyPeter@yahoo.com.

Other than Vent and Chester, of all of your projects in front of the camera, which one was the most special so far?  I performed a sold-out show at the Broward Center in December 2016.  It was the most successful show of my life, and it convinced me that I can be just as famous as anybody else that’s performed there.  Of all your projects behind the camera, which one do you cherish the most?  I used to own a wedding videography business for many years.  My wedding videos were kick-ass!  What’s the weirdest thing that ever happened to you on stage?  I performed at a gay nudist camp in the Pocono Mountains.  Although I didn’t perform nude, I did get naked for the last three minutes of the show.  That felt pretty weird being naked in front of 700 gay men.  However, I did make a lot of friends (laughs).  Who would you kill to perform with or work with?  Well, I wouldn’t kill anybody, but I’d love to work with Madonna or Bette Midler.  What other comic inspired you the most?  Kathleen Madigan.  She was the one who truly inspired me to pursue comedy.  Will you ever retire?  I don’t think I would completely retire, but when I could afford it, I would only work a fraction of the time.  Perhaps on a fun project here and there…

What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you?  I have fans…?  When did this happen?  What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  I met Lou Ferrigno once in 2001.  I was a huge fan of his growing up.  Don’t worry, I never told him that I used to masturbate to his photos.  What’s the last thing that you watched on TV?  Tom Hanks’ documentary series on Netflix about the 1970s.  Wow, Richard Nixon was quite the douche bag.  What’s the craziest thing that you ever did?  Crazy…?  I wish I did crazy things.  I’m the most straight-forward guy you’ll ever meet.  I have a perfect driving record since 1986.  I don’t even have a cavity in my mouth, for god’s sake.  I did walk my dog and didn’t clean up his shit once.  What’s your favorite book?  The bible.  It’s perfect to prop up a couch.  What’s the best concert that you ever went to?  Bugs Bunny in concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in 1999.  Do you still have your childhood blanket or stuffed animal?  No.  They both got too crusty, so my mom threw them away.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  The promo video for Vent and Chester.

What’s the best place that you’ve ever visited?  Amsterdam!  I love that place.  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  My goal is for millions to say, “Peter made me smile.”  What do you want to live long enough to see?  The ability to fly.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  The sciatica really does hurt.  What did you learn from your parents?  How to laugh at myself.  Who’s your favorite performer?  Me!!  What’s your best characteristic?  My heart.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  I love going to the movies with a big bucket of popcorn and soda.  What celebrity do you have crush on?  Mariah Carey.  Who do you admire?  Anybody with a good sense of humor.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  Wow, that’s a tough one.  I miss my grandmother like crazy.  I never met my grandfather.  He died before I was born, so he’d be kind of cool to meet.  However, I think that I’d bring back my sister.  She was only 35 when she died and still had a whole life ahead of her.

Where would you go in a time machine?  I’d go to one day prior to hearing the winning lottery numbers.  How do you take your coffee or tea?  Up the ass.  What would your last meal be?  Angel hair pasta.  What do you worry about?  E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g!  What are you afraid of?  Stupid people.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  A skin flute.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A sheep every day, but a wolf in bed.  Who depends on you, and for what?  My dog depends on me for love, affection and food.  Who are you closest with?  My mom.  What would your autobiography be called?  I don’t wanna ruin the surprise.  What’s on your bucket list?  A world tour.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  Not starting comedy sooner in life.  What’s something secretive about you that people don’t know?  That I never pee standing up.  I always sit down.  Where can we see you?  On Xtube or at my website.

 

 

 

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Interviews

ERNIE GLAM

In the vein of those who have parlayed themselves from that rare moment in time known as New York Club Kids, Ernie Glam is no exception to that rule.  From portraying the infamous Clara the Chicken in the 1990s in the club kid scene, to a successful career as a journalist, author and fashion designer, Glam did it all in the glow of the nightlife. 

By Mike Jeknavorian

Where did you grow up?  In Sacramento, California.  What do you miss about it there?  The warm, sunny weather.  If you had to live somewhere other than New York, where would you live?  In Paris or Berlin.  What’s special about New York that most people aren’t aware of?  The various styles of Chinese food.  Since you’re a writer, what’s the “interview that got away” from you?  As in, the interview that I never got, and now they’ve passed away?  Right before our book, Fabulousity: A Night You’ll Never Forget… Or Remember, went to print, I was supposed to interview my co-author, Alexis DiBiasio, but he suddenly died before that could happen.  What interview is most special to you?  I interviewed a low-income immigrant couple who worked hundreds of hours for a failed nonprofit, in hopes that they would receive an affordable apartment in one of the buildings they volunteered to renovate.  They never got the affordable apartment in the buildings they renovated.  When the failed charity’s buildings were to be auctioned, my story was published and the auction administrator announced that the couple would receive monetary compensation for their volunteer work.

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69 Hangovers chronicles a year of partying by journalist and nightclub personality Ernie Glam, who moved to New York City in 1984 and immediately began clubbing. Ernie Glam has a preference for flamboyant scenes and 69 Hangovers is a photo-documentary of parties where DJs played house, techno, EBM, goth rock and pop.

Who’s your dream interview?  Iggy Pop.  What’s the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you during an interview?  The battery on my recorder died within two minutes of starting the interview, so I got nothing and had to request a repeat interview.  What article or expose are you the proudest of?  An expose on school-cafeteria cleanliness violations, because it forced a school district to properly clean its cafeteria kitchens.  What piece from Project X Magazine is the most special to you?  A fashion spread with Milla Jovovich and Tony Ward, for which I wrote a narrative that was a poem in the spirit of Dr. Seuss.  What other journalist do you admire?  Ofeibea Quist-Arcton from NPR, because she sounds so polite, and I love her accent.  Other than yourself or Michael Alig, who’s the most important club kid?  I don’t consider myself very important.  I’d say Richie Rich, because he was most successful at monetizing the club kid phenomenon.

What club kid is underrated?  Onyx Noir, because his designs for Kanae & Onyx in the early 90s were brilliant and fun.  Other than yourself, who’s your favorite designer?  I’m not even in my top-10 favorite designers!  I love Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Thierry Mugler, Vivienne Westwood, and Alexander McQueen.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  My first job as a teenager washing dishes in a restaurant.  How did you come up with your name?  I’m sure you’ve recounted that before, but I can’t quite recall.  Sorry, I was a big fan of glam rock from the early 70s.  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  As a fun man.  What do you want to live long enough to see?  Recreational cocaine decriminalized.  Will you ever retire?  I’m legally retired from my 20-year news-reporting job, but I may never retire from nightclubbing.  What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you?  I’ve spent most of my adult life surrounded by people who can be considered very weird, so consequently, nothing seems weird to me.

What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  David Bowie.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  Job ads.  What’s the best place that you’ve ever visited?  Ephesus, Turkey.  Who would play you in a movie?  Desmond is Amazing.  I’m in Party Monster for about two seconds during the outlaw-party footage in the subway.  What are you superstitious about?  I’m not.  Do you believe in aliens?  If that means microbes on other worlds, then yes.  What’s the gayest concert that you ever went to?  Grace Jones’ one-man-show in 1981 in Philadelphia.  She licked my hand towards the end of the show.  What’s the most times that you watched a movie or read a book?  I’ve lost count how many times I’ve watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show.  I’ve watched it enough times to know most of the song lyrics.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  How to compromise in romantic relationships.  What did you learn from your parents?  Good manners.  Who’s your favorite performer?  David Bowie.  What’s your best characteristic?  My sense of humor.

How do you enjoy spending your time?  Dancing.  What celebrity do you have crush on?  Most of my celebrity crushes are dead.  Who do you admire?  Salvador Dali.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  Leigh Bowery.  Where would you go in a time machine?  To my college years to correct all my bad choices.  What would your last meal be?  My mom’s chiles rellenos.  What do you worry about?  I don’t worry about anything.  It’s a waste of mental energy.  What are you afraid of?  Donald Trump.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  A castanet.  Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A wolf.  Who depends on you, and for what?  My family, for moral support.  Who are you closest with?  My husband.  What would your autobiography be called?  Dizzy Chicken.  What’s on your bucket list?  Visiting assassinated-presidents’ resting places. I only have one left.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  Not being able to say “I love you” at a younger age.  What’s something secretive about you that people don’t know?  That I vacationed in Southeast Asia hoping to try dog or cat meat.  Where can we see you?  In nightclubs.

 

 

 

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN Local Events

MR. RAMROD 2019

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By Mike Jeknavorian

Ramrod in Fort Lauderdale had their annual Mr. Ramrod contest on Sunday, October 6.  The contest, which coincides with the venue’s 25thAnniversary, saw four contestants competing for the title.  The contestants competed by displaying their leather “looks,” by telling a fantasy story to the audience, and by interacting with the judges.  Blade Onxy was the winner of the contest; the runner up was Randy Lee.  The contest was judged by five people, including the venue’s longtime manager, Kevin Wright, and Mr. Ramrod 2018, Elimination Phunzo Onxy.  Bill Hoeppner was the MC.

 

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Interviews

HEKLINA

What does a tambourine, rats, Iceland, and a Halloween party in San Francisco have in common?  Answer: Heklina!

By Mike Jeknavorian

Where did you grow up?  Iceland, Minnesota, New York, and Boston.  What do you miss about any of those places?  I miss Iceland, because it’s the one place I can relax.  What’s something special about San Francisco that’s not common knowledge?  This is a hard question, as the city is a mess right now.  A lot of the special things have been drained away, but it’s still the city I look forward to getting back to whenever I travel.  If you had to live somewhere other than San Francisco, where would you live?  Well, I bought a house in Palm Springs, so there for sure (laughs).  Also, Iceland, and perhaps Puerta Vallarta.  What’s the most outrageous thing that you’ve ever seen at Trannshack?  Oh my god, there were so many things, it’s impossible to narrow one down.  But perhaps the first most shocking thing was when the club first opened in 1996.  A queen named RunRig popped popcorn off a hot-plate on her head, and immediately after her performance had to be rushed to the hospital for life-threatening burns to her scalp! 

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Who’s the most underrated drag queen?  Anyone not on RuPaul’s Drag Race.  Has drag become too mainstream and lost its send of the irreverent?  Yes.  Of all the films spoofs that you’ve been in, which one was your favorite?  The favorite thing I do is our Golden Girls LIVE production!  Who’s your favorite film performer?  Wow.  I guess Elizabeth Taylor…  Or Divine.  What’s your favorite film?  The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a film I can watch over and over.  It’s clichéd, but true.  Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now?  Data processor in the navy.  If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered?  For the things that I’ve created—Trannyshack and Oasis—and the fact that I never fucked anyone over or was dishonest in getting where I am.

What do you want to live long enough to see?  The death of Donald Trump of course!  Will you ever retire?  Yes.  What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you?  Nothing seems weird to me.  What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around?  Bjork.  What’s the last thing that you looked at online?  Porn.  What’s the best place that you’ve visited?  Rio De Janeiro.  What politician don’t you like?  I don’t like any of them!  What’s your favorite drink?  Coffee.  What’s your most treasured possession?  My cat, Dexter.  Do you believe in ghosts?  Absolutely.  Either living or dead, who would you love to have lunch with?  Judy Garland.  What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older?  Don’t sweat the small stuff, and—for god’s sake—don’t try and solve arguments online.

What did you learn from your parents?  What not to do.  Who’s your favorite performer?  David Bowie.  What’s your best characteristic?  I’m loyal, if you don’t fuck me over.  How do you enjoy spending your time?  Going to shows—concerts, theater and films—and traveling.  What celebrity do you have crush on?  Chris Evans!  Who do you admire?  David Bowie.  If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be?  David Bowie (laughs).  I love Bowie.  Where would you go in a time machine?  Back to 1975.  I was just a baby, but I’d like to be an adult during that era.  Glam rock, disco, and punk!  What would your last meal be?  Barbecue!  What do you worry about?  Climate change.  What are you afraid of?  Rats and heights.  If you were a musical instrument, what would you be?  A tambourine.  I don’t wanna be bothered too much.

Are you more like a sheep or a wolf?  A wolf, for sure.  Many boys who cross my path can vouch for that.  Who depends on you, and for what?  My cat Dexter does, for the obvious things.  My employees do, for a livelihood.  My audience…?  Who are you closest with?  Pippi Lovestocking, Peaches Christ, and Matthew Martin.  What would your autobiography be called?  That’s It?  What’s on your bucket list?  An African safari.  What’s your greatest regret in life?  Wasting all my time as a youth taking drugs and clubbing.  But it’s also the thing I remember most fondly.  What’s something secretive about you that people don’t know?  I’m actually a really nice person.  Never trust anyone who is not a cunt.  Where can we see you?  At Oasis!  Also, at the Victoria Theatre this December for Golden Girls LIVE!